Ignoring legality, do you fly over other people houses in suburban or built up areas?

[G Saunders]

I checked Yes, but was looking for 'Yes, why not, it's legal here'. I keep it up there a couple hundred feet and don't hover and get imagery anywhere I'm not invited...

 

[Deleted member 93449]

I would be limiting my places to fly by about 95% if I decided not to fly over other private property. I do it in a way that the drone won't be heard and difficult to see with just a glance at the sky. I may stop for a minute to get a particular picture but I don't loiter over other property.

 

[Frank Dracman]

I always thought this an odd "rule" as no one EVER asks me if I fly my 3,600 pound Piper Saratoga SP over houses, people or roads... Pretty sure I could do some damage with that.

I assume you're in the aircraft at the time?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I checked Yes, but was looking for 'Yes, why not, it's legal here'. I keep it up there a couple hundred feet and don't hover and get imagery anywhere I'm not invited...

When I put "Ignoring legality" in the title and "Please, no discussion of whether or not it is legal in your jurisdiction" in the text, why would I put "Yes, why not, it's legal here" in the voting options?

 

[Ty Pilot]

This is a ridiculous poll. Asking whether or not some pilots "fly over other people's houses in suburban or built up areas" while demanding that the very topic (legality), that would lead to such decisions being made - not be discussed or mentioned, is preposterous. IMHO of course.

Oh - and my answer?. . . . Yes, maybe, sometimes, but it depends! Certainly not always, and never under certain conditions, unless - certain other conditions are made, prior to; (and in conjunction with) - said flight, with consideration to location and purpose. . . . and other people who may (or may not have), some vested interest in the reason for me flying. . . . . . . . there. Otherwise - heck ya, unless other conditions take precedence; in which case I fly over over things the other way

But I didn't see this as a selection so I digress.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

You, of course, are entitled to your opinion as to whether or not the poll is ridiculous, if you think so why participate? After all it is wasting your time on something that you regard as "ridiculous".
Seeking to keep legality out of the discussion is an attempt to avoid any discussion from getting side tracked. I was and am curious to see what sort of area people fly in/over and why.

 

[Ty Pilot]

I was hoping all the smiley faces would convey that my answer was sort of tongue-in-cheek, but perhaps not.

Seeking to keep legality out of the discussion is an attempt to avoid any discussion from getting side tracked. I was and am curious to see what sort of area people fly in/over and why.

This was my point. The 'why' we do, or don't fly; in the places you mention will, in most (but not all), cases come down to legality. A drone is at no more risk, (from an operational standpoint) regardless of whether it is flying over water, a house, a tree - whatever - it doesn't know where it is. The only thing that matters is what the 'operator' perceives as risk, and one of those risks, to many operators is the legality.

So if you fly over houses or built up areas, what are your concerns? Why make this poll?

In all honesty to the question of the poll, I don't have a problem flying over anything, anytime, or anywhere as long as I can do so - without risking my (or other pilots) ability, to do so again. *Reasoning withheld as requested*

 

[thispilothere]

Yes on almost every flight.

 

[EpicFlight]

It's just never an issue. If I need to pass over dense residential terrain to get somewhere, I pop up to 200' AGL, switch to Sport, and floor it to my destination.

No one ever cares when some drone they can barely hear shoots by overhead for a second at most doing 40mph.

 

[Merrill277]

Flying in other than no fly zones is legal. I think the problem some get into is flying low into yards and near windows etc. But flying over neighborhoods at like 200' agl, what is the big deal? People want to think that is perverted, but at least here in Idaho, you don't see people lying around naked in their back yards. Thank goodness for that.

 

[Xitor]

Just because that's where I live and if I want to go out and practice, get a sun set shot, try a hyperlapse, etc. I don't want to drive 20 minutes every time I fly my drone for 20 minutes. I try to observe the previous Texas law, do no fly with the intent purpose of surveillance. Sometimes I wont even record, just practicing flying.

 

[GregS]

Please, no discussion of whether or not it is legal in your jurisdiction, in some it is, in some it is not.
I am not talking about flying whilst trying to invade peoples' privacy. I am talking solely about just general overflights with the camera primarily pointing horizontally and for views you can not get from the ground.

Here in the USA it is legal to fly 'over' people; not a large group, to get to where you are going. You cannot stop above them unless you have consent. Maybe at a family reunion. I do fly over houses also to get to where I am going. I fly at max altitude; 300 to 400AGL. Planes fly over houses at 500 AGL. I never stop over a house, except my own. If an A/C came down, much worse...of course the chances are greater for a drone to fall than an A/C. Since I would fly fast, if it failed above the house, it most likely would not hit the house.

 

[redhawkdrone]

As you pass 300 feet AGL, the less likely people will know the drone is even in the area. IMO, it is acceptable to fly over residential areas as long as you are not targeting a specific house. I find that 99% of people on social media in local interest groups enjoy seeing the neighborhood and surrounding area from 300-400 feet in the air. Sometimes, those wide shots of the neighborhood even help calm some fears that you are "spying".

 

[archoptical]

I live in London, UK. There are houses and people and roads everywhere. There are planes and helicopters everywhere. Even most of the Thames is a helicopter route. The map is just full of red, much of which doesn't apply. Zooming in and it's full of schools and hospitals and power lines. Every time I take off at home, I'm warned I can't go over 150m, despite the limit being 120m. I have to use pavements to take off from, so usually aim to be out early morning. But I have a mini 2 and most of the time I just send it straight up, take a photo and bring it down again. But if I have to make it travel, it goes over houses and roads. My biggest fears are birds. Especially pigeons which seem to like flying round and round the drone within minutes of getting in the air.

 

[lilewis]

When I first got my MP2 I flew to 400 ft from my neighbor's back yard because it was more open than mine. My neighbor had given me permission. No horizontal movement - just straight up. I took a 360 pano of my neighborhood and came straight down. No need to do it more than once - but I will sometimes, for pretty sunsets or distant thunderstorms, fly over the house/tree line just enough to get a better view of the horizon. As soon as the winds pick up or I feel a rain drop on my head, the drone is down in seconds. I've never had a neighbor complain.

 

[lilewis]

When I first got my MP2 I flew to 400 ft high from my neighbor's back yard (because it was more open, and safer for a novice). My neighbor had given me permission. No horizontal movement - just straight up. I took a 360 pano of my neighborhood and came straight down. No need to do it more than once - but I now sometimes, for pretty sunsets or distant thunderstorms, fly over my house/tree line just enough to get a better view of the horizon. As soon as the winds pick up or I feel a rain drop on my head, the drone is down in seconds. I've never had a neighbor complain.

 

[SRSeaHorse]

Yes I have but I’d like to add I only do it while inspecting gutter issues at a retirement communit.

 

[EpicFlight]

As you pass 300 feet AGL, the less likely people will know the drone is even in the area. IMO, it is acceptable to fly over residential areas as long as you are not targeting a specific house. I find that 99% of people on social media in local interest groups enjoy seeing the neighborhood and surrounding area from 300-400 feet in the air. Sometimes, those wide shots of the neighborhood even help calm some fears that you are "spying".

Almost always.

Once people see how little detail you actually can discriminate at 200' AGL, they lighten up a lot.

 

[stevie gee]

I called the police & fire department command center in my city to ask about city ordinances or restrictions on drone operations. They had no idea what I was talking about as if I were speaking a foreign language. So it’s FAA rules only.

 

[EpicFlight]

I called the police & fire department command center in my city to ask about city ordinances or restrictions on drone operations. They had no idea what I was talking about as if I were speaking a foreign language. So it’s FAA rules only.

Sad thing is, even in spite of that ignorance LEOs in some jurisdictions will push you around, tell you you can't fly somewhere because some power tripping citizen that has a noise meter and complains every time anything goes 0.5dB over the local ordinance limit, etc.

Even though you're in the right.

Fortunately, the vast vast majority of LEOs aren't like that, but are great, regular people. It only takes one testosterone junkie in the department to bring a lot of misery to the community "enforcing" the law...